Service for the Needy!

Tonight we decided to teach our kids about the needy & about service. I held onto my regular D.I. bags Saturday and today Carlaya and I came up with lots more stuff. I wanted to be able to give a nice donation to a homeless center or somewhere similar. Carlaya was so funny. She was sooooo willing to GIVE GIVE GIVE. Especially when she found out that homeless kids probably don't have toys and many only have 1 thing to wear. She begged ME to give some of her barbies (her favorite thing ever!) And she was just pulling things out of her closet that she wanted a "poor girl to wear". She was so sad when I told her that some people sleep in the streets or in parks and the "lucky" ones sleep in a packed, stinky shelters on little beds. Many go with out food or maybe only get 1 meal for the entire day. My poor kids just can't imagine going more than an hour without a snack. The thought of some kids hunger pains just made them sad.
In total we gathered 6-7 "walmart" bags of clothing, shoes, and toys/books. Then Carlaya helped me fill one small box of food from home. I made some calls to find a good shelter that had women/children as well as men and one that took both clothing and food donations. I also wanted one that would just give the clothes to the needy and not put it in their thrift store. If you are homeless, chances are you DON'T have money to go shopping for yourself and kids. So after about 7-8 phone calls, I chose "the Shade Tree".(which I had heard of before) After Jonathan got home, we loaded everything up and headed to WalMart to buy some more food. I didn't want to empty my own pantry, but I did want to be able to give a little bit more food. So I spent about $30 on cases of ramen/cup'o'soups, stuffing, cans of pumpkin, pastas and a few other things. I was so surprised how much I got for that little.
Next we headed DOWN to the scary parts of town. :) As we turned from Owen's onto Main Street, I was just shocked. I wanted to cry. I have seen homeless before, I mean they are everywhere and I've even seen little tent cities all over. But this was soooo different. Most of the shelters are right on those streets, so there was just hundreds of them! Men, women and plenty of children. Women carry babies- little babies! So sad. Down some alleys, lines were starting to form- soon the shelters would open to feed dinner and possibly act as a refuge for the night. Looking down the street you could just see them all coming in, to try to get a spot for the night. It was only about 6pm, but for them, it is now or never. We even saw some kids waiting with their parents- in their school uniforms. For once I see the importance of school uniforms and I have ALWAYS been against them. They looked like normal clean kids and I am sure at school they look just like the little rich girl from Summerlin wearing the same khaki shorts and navy blue polo. It gives every child the chance to be equal. That is so crucial at that age- at any age.
Well I had Jonathan go into the front desk and ask exactly where we'd be taking it before we all got out of the car. There was homeless everywhere. He came back and said we COULD take it in there, but they discourage it, because we could get ran-sacked by people grabbing stuff away from us before we could get inside. Uh, scary! So they recommend we go next door where they have a security guard that will take the stuff from us and deliver it later. We had both Carlaya and Noah help carry the bags of things to him. They each handed over their own bag of toys, knowing it would go to one of the boys/girls right there on the street or somewhere it was needed. I was a little bummed that we didn't get to take them inside so they could see the big room full of cots and get to see how some people have to live and HOW lucky/fortunate they are.
I hope this is the first of MANY service projects we do as a family. I hope I teach my kids to always GIVE BIG!

Lastly, My DREAM! I always see humanitarian aid being given around the world. Whether it be on Oprah, or the sappy commercials asking you to "adopt a child". They always break my heart and yes, I donate to C.A.R.E., and many other charities local and world wide. My mail box is always full of more charities asking. Apparently my name is OUT THERE. LOL Anyway our stake does major humanitarian projects and the latest one was making school kits and new mothers/baby kits for people of Kenya, Africa. Well a couple from our stake is HAND DELIVERING them (for the second time). Man! Would I love to be able to be on that trip. I think that would be the most amazing vacation of all time. Not to "tour Africa" and go on safaris (although that would be cool) but to feed starving children MYSELF, hold sick infants in orphanages, comfort those dying of AIDS, and many other selfless acts. I am going to opening an account & will donate to MYSELF each month and when I have enough money. I AM GOING TO AFRICA on a major humanitarian aid trip. Hopefully with our church, but if not- another charity organization.
**I encourage all of you to give. Whether it be to your own extended family, your ward, your neighborhood, the city of Las Vegas, or anywhere in the world it is needed. Service is always needed and there will never be enough giving hands. I am becoming more and more dedicated to GIVING SERVICE. And I hope you all have a place in your hearts to give- whatever you can, BIG or SMALL. The need is so great! And the reward you get in return is ten-fold!